King's Bounty Video Game Series

The gameplay combines elements of turn-based strategy and RPG. Directing the actions of the heroes, players explore large maps, on which there is no shortage of enemies, treasures and NPCs. An important element of the game are turn-based battles played on boards with a grid of hexagonal fields. Resources and experience gained in this way allow to develop the characters' skills.

Cycle King's Bounty is characterized by eye-pleasing, three-dimensional graphics. The unveils of the series until 2014 are characterized by a very colorful visual layer. On the technical side, the games are based on the capabilities of theEngine, also used in such titles as Down of Magic, Fantasy Wars or No Time for Dragons. With the release of King's Bounty 2 however, the artistic direction of the series changed. The developers decided to create more realistic graphics, and used Unreal Engine 4 to do so.

The series began in 1990 with the game King's Bounty. The player takes on the role of one of four heroes; each of them belongs to a different class and has unique skills. The game's plot revolves around a stolen royal scepter, which helped the ruler maintain order within his lands. Our task is to find it before the ailing king dies. The title has an interesting morale mechanic, which can be improved/deteriorated depending on whether the units in our army like each other.

King's Bounty: The Legend is a modernized look at the series. In it, we learn the fate of a knight who is just beginning his service to the king. Despite his young age, as a result of plot twists, we are ordered to find the ruler's daughter. An interesting aspect of the game is that our hero can get married, and our spouse will travel with us. Several potential candidates are available in the game, and each stands out with a different bonus for our character. Having a wife also provides us with room for additional artifacts, which can be very practical. Having a partner also allows us to beget children, who also have a variety of positive effects on our character. Finally, there is also the option of divorce, in which case the spouse leaves with some of our belongings and gold. In addition, as part of following the main thread, we have the chance to recruit 4 powerful spirits, the so-called Spirits of Rage, which we can summon during battle.

King's Bounty: Armored Princess largely resembles its predecessor. The basic rules of gameplay remain the same, with some minor differences. For example, wives are replaced by companions, and instead of summoning Spirits from Rage during battle, we can summon our dragon during battle. The game is set 10 years after the events of the reboot. The land of Darion has been invaded by dark creatures. In an act of desperation, the mages open a portal to another world, through which our heroine passes. She is to find a great hero who can save her lands - and that hero is none other than the protagonist from The Legend. The game was also released as a bundle King's Bounty: Crossworlds. It includes the basic game and a number of add-ons. The title has been expanded to include new campaigns, an orc race, and, much to the delight of many fans, an editor that allows players to create their own content for the game.

King's Bounty: Legions is a spin-off of the series in the MMO convention, whose monetization is based on microtransactions. The title retains the traditional elements of the series, namely turn-based battles and real-time world travel, adding the ability to fight other players and climb the ranking ladder.

King's Bounty: Warriors of the North allows players to take on the role of the Viking Olaf, who is trying to help the king defend the land from the undead. The title is again not a revolution in the series, but an example of evolution. It introduces Viking culture and new units. In addition, instead of wives or companions, in this installment we complete Valkyries, which give bonuses to our character. There are five all female warriors, but the player is forced to choose one that will support him at 100% of his abilities, the power of the rest is limited to 25%. The title received an addition in the form of Ice & Fire, which offers an additional land - an ice-covered island. In addition, the expansion enriches the game with new enemies and items.

W King's Bounty: Dark Side on the level of gameplay does not change much. The title again follows the proven solutions from the previous parts. The biggest novelty is that the game gives us the opportunity to choose not only the class of our character, but also the race, and these are vampire, orc and demon. As the name suggests, in Dark Side for the first time in the series, the player has the opportunity to take on the role of the "bad guy." Each protagonist has his own story and companions, but their fates are intertwined.

After a hiatus of several years, the series returned in the form of King's Bounty II. With this title, the series decided to move away from fairy-tale graphics in favor of realistic ones. The production retained the basic principles of gameplay: it is still divided into a stage of real-time map travel and turn-based combat. However, it presents a much more tactical character, since the terrain on which the battle is fought can significantly affect its course. For this reason, strategic decisions are already made at the stage of engaging in a skirmish. In addition, the storyline is non-linear, and our choices have a real impact on the fate of the land. The title gives us the opportunity to play one of three available characters, each with a different story. We find ourselves in the world of Antara, which is haunted by a strange disease that warps living creatures. It depends on our choices how the story of this land will end.